If you haven't heard yet, the new edition of Huckleberry Finn is going to have the "n" word removed. (Hint: it isn't notsome.)
It doesn't seem so bad, at first glance. It updates the book language a bit - because that word is definitely not okay in todays culture - and it may even let kids who wouldn't be allowed to read it because of school boards/parents going RAWR I'M A GIANT SQUID OF ANGER. So, good, yes? That was my initial reaction, until I thought about it. Then the alarm bells started going off. Doesn't this sound a whole lot like censorship? Where does this stop? What if the term "slavery" is suddenly very taboo - are they going to switch it again? Fast forward a century - will they take out "bitch" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Where does it stop, once it's started? As Maureen Johnson said on Twitter, "you can't retrofit a book to make it easier for you to deal with."
Not to mention that the fact that they have replaced the N-word with "slave" is just ridiculous. They are two words with completely different meanings. It seems to me that they - the publishers - are so afraid of appearing racist that they will do anything to appear UNracist, which really makes them look more racist than leaving the book untouched.
In short - Huckleberry Finn has been just FINE for 100 years: leave it be.
Lots of good thoughts, Jodi. Books from certain time periods have to be taken in context of their time periods. They are important windows to the modern reader to understand the culture of their time. Definitely, no censorship!
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't imagine DH w/out Molly's famous "bitch!" ;-)
It's just really scary... People thinking thinks like the book Fahrenheit 451 aren't at all relevant to society today and claiming these things don't occur because we're modern... Well it IS happening. So much book banning occurs, I find out from Maureen Johnson. If people are crazy enough to try their hardest to ban the dictionary, they're out to get anything.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it's just because I live around so many people that love books so much, but it seems like everyone online is kind of RAWR about this.
ReplyDeleteAnd Justine, yeah, I was really made aware by it by MJ too. It's just ridiculous, I can't hardly believe it. It's scary for me, as an aspiring author to think about book banners. #evilbookbanners